Katherine Legge addresses the ‘disappointing’ gap in women in motorsports: "I’d love to bring up the next generation" 

Katherine Legge recently brought up the number of women in motorsports in her era and the present day. The British auto racing driver has made her name in the world of motorsports by competing in several disciplines, such as IndyCar, NASCAR, and SportsCar.

Ahead of the Shriner's Children's 500 race at Phoenix Raceway, Legge sat down in a conversation with the reporters and addressed the evident gap in women's contention in the top motorsports series of the world. The 44-year-old is set to become the first woman in NASCAR's premier series to make her debut since Danica Patrick hung her helmet back in 2018.

In a recent media availability at Phoenix Raceway, Legge said:

"It's disappointing that there aren't more women in INDYCAR, NASCAR, Cup. (In) Sportscars, there's really been kind of a gap. There was Sarah Fisher and Danica (Patrick) and me and Simona (de Silvestro) and a bunch of good drivers in that era. Then there's been this gap, this lull."

Katherine Legge will be the first woman to compete in NASCAR's next-gen era and the eighth overall to mark her presence in the modern era of the Cup Series.

In recent times, the drag racing series, NHRA, has seen growth in the participation of women. Meanwhile, in the stock-car division, Toni Breidinger has bagged a full-time schedule in the Trucks, and Hailie Deegan, who ran in the Xfinity Series until last year, has transitioned to IndyNXT for this season.

Furthermore, Legge, who has a two-decade career in motorsports, touched upon her experience to help and support the next generation of women. She said:

"I'd love to bring up the next generation. I think there's only a handful of us that have those shared, lived experiences, and I think that my experience might be valuable in helping them navigate it."

"So, I know what my journey has been, and I know that it's gone for me, and it's gone against me, and I know where the struggles are."

IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Katherine Legge didn't shy away from acknowledging the disparity of women in a male-dominated sport. Moreover, wants everyone to see her as another racecar driver on merit.

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Katherine Legge opens up on her 'dream come true' opportunity in NASCAR

This will not be the first time that Katherine Legge will be behind the stock car in the NASCAR touring series. Previously, she made five starts in the Xfinity series, with the best result being a P14 finish at Road America in 2018.

As she prepares for his debut run in the Cup Series, Legge expressed her honest thoughts in an official team release. She said:

"Entering the NASCAR Cup Series is a dream come true. I’m excited to team up with Live Fast Motorsports for Phoenix, and to represent our sponsors DROPLiGHT and Sherfick Companies. Racing stockcars has been an incredibly fun and new challenge that’s given me a renewed sense of vigor for this sport. As always, I’m grateful for the opportunity to do what I love and am inspired by all of the effort, preparation and behind the scenes work it takes to get here."

While Katherine Legge will make waves at the 1-mile oval Arizona track this Sunday, she once also made her intentions clear on running more NASCAR races like the Daytona 500, and Coca-Cola 600.